Means for converting a collapsible top of an automobile into a closed top



A. H.IPAPE. ,W I MEANS FOR CONVERTING A COLLAPSIBLE T P 0F AN AUTOMOBILE INTO A CLOSED TOP.

APPLICAYION FILED 0CT.2I. I9I9.

1,363,908, Patent/Bd D06. 28, 1920.4

3 SHEETS--SHEEI II A. H. PAPE. MEANS Fos CONVERUNG A comAPssiE TGP 0F AN AUTOMOBILE INTO A CLOSED TOP.

MFLCATIQN FILED OCT, 27. l9l9.

Patented Dec. 28, 1920.

laltdvnfflu R M 4 NH. A n 7 M 7. if?. 5 J u nu u ATT'Y A. H. PAPE. l MEANS FUR CONVERTING A CLLAPSISLE TOP OF AN AUTOMOBILE INTO A CLOSED TOP.

APPLICATIGN man ocnz. |919.

Patelltd D00. 28, 1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3,

r "W4" g /N VEN ra@ A H- FPE UNITED STATES PATENT CFFICE.

AUGUST H. PAPE, 0F KENTFILD, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF T0 WILLIAM B. LARKINS, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

Means ron ooNvnaTnve A coLLArsTBLE Tor or AN AUToMoBILE :Nro A CLOSED Tor.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 28, 1920.

Application filed etober 27, 1919. Serial No. 333,441.

To all whom it may concern p Be it known that I, AUGUST H. PAPE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kentield, in the county of Marin and State of California, have invented new and useiul Improvements in Means for Converting Collapsible Tops of Automobiles into Closed Tops, of which the following is a specification.

The object of the present invention is to provide means for converting a collapsible to of an automobile into a closed top.

1in the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a broken side view of the upper portion of an automobile; Fig. 2 is a cross section thereof on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 looking forwardl Fig. Bis a broken side view of a part of t e apparatus which I use for converting the top of the automobile into a closed top; Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional View of a portion of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a sec- `tional view of parts shown in ig. 4, looking at right angles to Fig. 4; Fig. (3 is a plan view of the automobile top, the cover being removed, showing also the arrangement whereby the Windows are converted into a I rear Wind Shield; Fig. 7 is a plan view of a portion of said apparatus; Fig. 8 is a partial transverse section through the car showing the window converted into a rear wind shield; Fig. 9 is a broken rear view of a rear portion of the car; Fig. 10 is a sccliange 45 sti'enin tional view of a modilied form of track.

Referring to the drawing, 1 indicates the cloth top of an open car and 2 the bows thereof. Secured within'said top, on each lside, and extending parallel with the side of said top, is a pair of boards or plates 3,

4 'w'holellength of the car, and the other extends forwardly just beyond the front window ot' the car, as shown at 9 in Figs. 1 and 7. ,Said rails are secured to said support by long screws 11, screwed through said su port and into said rods. Upon said ra1 S can travel slide blocks 12,' each formed at the top with a longitudinally extending recess 13 curved concavely on its opposite sides to lit snugly against the com ex sides of 'the rails.

Each block is formed with a central Socket extending upwardly from its lower side and meeting said longitudinally extending recess and threaded in its upper portion and in the threaded upper portion ot' said socket is screwed a plug 14. The under side of said plug bears against the upper surface of the head 16 of a. screw 17, said Screws being placed in said socket from the top and screwed in the frame 15 of a window 18, the lower side of said frame being slidable upon the upper edge of the car body.

Sp1-ings 21 are secured to the support and to pins 22 extending between the plates and normally raise said support, thereby raising the Tails and also the windows by reason of the hun ds o1 the screws being confined within the sockets. It results from this construetion that, when the window is being moved, its lower edge is free from the upper edge of the ear body. When, however, it has been moved to the position desired, the support is depressed and the windows are also depressed to rest upon the edge of the cer body by means of an arm 26 (Figs. 3 and 5) extending from a shaft 27 mounted in the pair of boards or plates and carrying a iandle 28 convenient for operation by a person within the car. Upon turning said handle, said arm is depressed, ressing down upon the center port1on of a ong spring 23 Yattached at its ends to the support 7,

thereby providing resilient. pressure on` said support and preventing rattling and equalizing the pressure, an pressing the windows down upon the edge of the car body so that said windows are held firmly in position. a

At the rear end, the plates of each pair are spaced from each other by a sleeve 30 around a bolt 31 which passes through a Verti ally elongated hole 32 in the rear part of the support, to allow the support to move freely vertically while preventing its longitudinal movement.

At the front end, the plates of each pair are spared from each other by a block 33 sufiiciently wide that the plates arc spaced sufliciently far apart to permit the support to 'move freely therebetween.

I am able to utilize the rear windows for a rear wind shield by not extending the innei` rail the whole length of the rar, For this purpose, the rear window is moved forwardly until the front slide block l2 escapes from the forward end of the inner rail 9, then thc rear window is turned about its rear slide block, which is still suspended from the rail, and can turn freely, and the screw head turns in the block remaining on the rail, until it extends in a transve direction to the rar. then the front block is caused to engage a single rail 3S suspended from across beam 2.59 and extending tram` versely in the middle portion of the car only a short distance. The ends of said cross beam 3S are passed through sufficiently large holes in the inner plates 8 and are secured in the supports 7 between the. pairs of plates.

40 indicates a stop at the front end of the outside rail, or track, to prevent the slide blocks from moving off saio rail. 4l indicates a pin or stop for limiting the upward movement of the support 7 duc to the action of the springs 21.

In the form of track and support shown in Fig. 1U, the rails are made of a pressed metal 43 fastened by screws 44 to the support 7 of the track.

In order to securely attach the window 18 to its supportingr screw li', there is interposed between the sides of the sheet metal frame 15 of the window an extra piece of metal 20, which, being pinned to thc sheet metal frame by the pins 25, serves to conneet the top side of the sheet metal frame to the vertical sides, as clearly shown in Fig. 3. This extra piece of metal also pro vides additional body for the screws l? to be screwed into.

I claim 1. In combination with a collapsible top of an automobile, frames secured to the frame of saidtop, one on each side of the automobile, a vertically movable upper window t 'ack `supported by said frame, a window ,tbe lower edge of which is movable over the upper edge of the body of the au- ,omobile` slide blocks secured to the upper edge 0f the window and slidable upon said track and means for .vertically moving the track to move said windows into and out of Contact with the upper edge of the automobile body.

2. In combination with a collapsible top of an automobile, frames secured to the frame of said top, one on each side of the automobile, an upper window track Supported by cach frame, resilient means for supporting the track ou the frame, a window, the lower edge of which is movable over the upper edge of the body of the automobile, and slide blocks secured to the. upper edge of the window and slidable upon said track, and means for depressing the track and stretching said resilient means.

3. yln combination with a. collapsible top of an automobile, frames secured to the frame of said top, one on each side of the automobile` an upper window track supported by each frame, resilient means for supporting the track on the frame, a window, the lower edge of which is movable overy the upper edge of the body of the automobile and slidable upon said track, and resilient means applied to a plurality of points on the track for depressing the track and stretching said resilient means.

1. ln combination with a collapsible top of an automobile, frames secured to the Jframe of said top, one on each side of the automobile, an upper window track supported by each frame, resilient means for supporting the track on the frame, a window, the lower edge of which is movable over the upper edge of the body of the automobile, and slide blocks secured to the upper edge of the window and slidable upon Said track and means for depressing the track and stretcliin said resilient means, and means for limiting the upward movement of said track due to said resilient support.

5. In an automobile, the combination of a window, the lower edge of which is adjacent to the upper edge of the frame of the automobile, a longitudinal track,.tl1e upper edge of the window being provided with means adapted to slide along said track, means for raising said track to raise the lower edge of the window from off the upper edge of said automobile frame, and means l' or depressing said track to press said lower edge against the upper edge of said frame.

6. In an automobile, the combination of a wimlow, the lower edge of which is adjacent to the upper edge of the frame of the automobile, a longitudinal track, the upper edge of the window being provided with means adapted to slide along said track, means for resiliently raising said track to raise the lower edge of the window from olf the upper edge of said aut0- mobile frame, and means for depressing said track to press said lower edge against t-he upper edge of said frame.

T. In combination with a collapsible top of an automobile and a frame therefor, guides secured to said frame in said to a support movable vertically hetnet-n said guides, window tracks secured to the under side of said support, windows slidnlole upon tho trunks :nid moans for moving Suid support vertically to more tho windows into und out of contant with thc body of the :urtoniohile.

H. In combination with n. Collapsible lop of an automobili: and :L 'frame therefor;

boards Secured to Suid frnnle in ,Lt-uid top7 :i `support movablo vertically between sind boards, window trunks soclxrod to tho under sido of said support? springs for raining Suid support und mornin l'or (lL-pressing ASaid sup port against :said springs.

5)A In. combination with it collapililn top of :in automobile 1nd :i frzuno therefor, a pnir of vortirnl hom-ds socurod to Suid lrnnie in smid top a support niovsihlo rortifrnlly liotwocn Suid boards, window trat-lm scoured to tllo under sido of mid Support, espringn` `for mixing Suid fjupport :ind inningsl lor w;- orting u rcsiliont pression :it u, plurality oi' points against he notion olt .smid spring-5.

10. ln :onilnnution with :i rollupisihlo top of :xn automobile and o from@ thorufor, n pulir of vertical hoardfs Secured to mid lfrumo in"M Suid top, a support movable vertically hotwern said boards und Window trucks selfurod to tho under ldo ol huid support, one only of said tran-livxtonding the full li-uglli of tho wir, windows slidalole upon said trunks, tlm windows slidulrle upon tho :Shortor truck being sliduhlrr :it two points thereon und n tlainsvrrno trzirli', to which one ol said sliduhlc connor-,tions can be trzinsi'urrnd.

Il. ln combination with :i collapsible top of'v un :iutoinoliilo und :i frame therefor, a )mir off wrtinnl boards soourod to Suid frame in Suid top, :i support nioviible vertically bolwven snid boards. window tracks secured to thv under lsido of said Support` ono only of Huid trunks uxtonding tlm l'ull lrngth of tho wir, indiuml .alidnlilo upon nid tracks, tho windows` Y-.|ulu|llv upon tho shorter truck boing' slidulilo :it tm) poiutwy tlicroon und :i {runen-rsu lrni'l(1 lo nllic'h one oll .Li-.lid slid- :ililc oonnmlionb con llo trzuisl'urrlfd and n 'support :it thc lim-li of tho iront sont for supporting Huid lultvr window.

AU G U ST ll. PAPE. 

